Sunday, 31 January 2010

I have had quite a busy hobby weekend and have managed to get on with quite a lot of one thing and another. First of all, I have managed to wash and start the plates on my Carnifex:

Click the Pic!

The Carnifex will need a little bit of extra work because the wash pooled in so many areas that I need to cover things up a bit. As a result, I am using some Tau Sept Ochre to base paint all of the plates instead of just going straight for the Bubonic Brown. I can't see it making too much difference in the overall scheme of things but it will end up looking tidier than if I didn't add the extra paint layer.

On a further Tyranid note, I have been busy removing Rippers from bases and cleaning them up. The Rippers in question were from E-bay and I now have another 31 plastic and 5 metal ones to fill another 10 bases. I still have 15 more to clean but I have really made a dent in them. I've also started the base preparation for the ones I have already painted. I have the magnets and the bases 'hole punched' I just need to get some Araldite to glue things together then I will be set.

On a completely different note, I was in 'Allworths' (it is where Woolworths used to be) and saw some very cheap 'Connect 4' games. I bought four and will be going back for another four at a later date...why? Because the counters will make excellent tank wheels for my APCs (I just can't bear to cut up bits of dowel for so many wheels) and the game boards will make excellent chassis components for...something else...

Keeping on the 'completely different note' theme, I recently received a parcel from Pig Iron Productions that contained a bumper pack of head sprues. I wasn't planning on doing anything with them just yet...but one thing led to another AND:

Click the Pic!

These are Grymn (from Hasslefree Miniatures) with the inner guard heads from the sprues. The pic shows 5 that are currently waiting for conversion to be finished and 4 that are already finished. All I have done for the conversions is to chop off heads from the grymn, chop off heads from the sprues, pin one to another and then build up a 'hump' on the backs to bulk the Grymn up a bit.

I am thinking that these look like tunnel fighters so I put little lights on the side of their helmets. It is good to be back in the Grymn thing again.

Wednesday, 27 January 2010

I have started to paint the finished Carnifex. I have so far undercoated and base painted the whole thing Bubonic Brown, ready for applying the washes and it has taken AGES!!! I really wish I had an airbrush...ho-hum...something that I will eventually get.

I have also had a little success on E-bay and have won a couple of lots of Rippers...I have 16 so far and another 25 on the way so that makes another 10 bases worth. Once I have them all together, I'll put them on their cardboard painting strips and off I'll go...again.

Unfortunately, I haven't been so lucky with a cheap Carfnifex...so I'll have to be patient if I am ever to start building my Hive Queen / Tervigon...I have plenty to be getting on with while I wait.

Anyone going to Salute this year? If you do, it looks like I may be hanging around the Hasslefree Miniatures stand...AND I was invited too! Maybe I'll see you there.

Sunday, 24 January 2010

First up, do you remember that I ordered a turreted APC from Fenris Games? Do you also remember me saying that I was unlikely to use the turret? Well, I decided that the turret made a great little scout vehicle for 28mm Grymn or a main tank for 15mm...here's my Grymn adaptation (Grymn only shown for scale):

Click the Pic!

All I have done is add a skirt using Milliput (leaving lots of fingerprints to make it look like cloth), some bags and a door. I also replaced the main gun with a small HMG from the Grymn range of accessories from Hasslefree Miniatures. The tarnished effect on the paint came as a result of laziness. Befor I started working on the turret, I forgot to wash the resin. I realised that there was relaese agent all over it when I had finished the converting and also that I couldn't wash it because of all the Green Stuff...I may have washed it off. I decided to use a spirit based varnish to coat the vehicle and this would effectively de-grease it. It was taking a while to dry so I painted on to the tacky varnish...hence, dodgy paint-job. I know it could use a few markings but I did the thing as a 'see what you can do' sort of thing rather than anything specific...so it may or may not get markings.

To Keep the Tyranid theme going, I have assembled the rest of the box of Gargoyles to the same standard. I currently have ten Gargoyles with no weapon arms fitted. I need to make twenty talons for the arms and to be honest, I haven't had the enthusiasm for it...so I did a little more work on the Carnifex and left the Gargoyles to it:

Click the Pic!

The Carnifex now has a scythed tail and both pairs of arms finished. I still need to do a bit of filling on his carapace but he is nearly there.

On to other things...my hobby at the moment.

As a result of the change of job, odd shift patterns, extended working periods and general 'LIFE GETTING IN THE WAY', my hobby has taken a lot of a back seat recently. This is likely to continue for a good month or so while I come to terms with all of the new demands that have been placed on me. As a result, updates will be sparse and they may also be quite random in subject. The reason for this is that I need to keep things interesting or I quickly lose interest because I am so fatigued at the moment.

At the moment it is pointless asking whether 'this project' or 'that project' is getting worked on or nearer to completion because what I post will be all I am doing. Things I am hoping to finish (in no particular order) are:

These are my PRIMARY completion targets (I have so much other stuff that it defies description!) and if I get bored with one, I will work on another...unless I get the muse to try something in between.

Please don't ask how I am getting on with stuff as it just puts me off and I end up working on something different. It isn't me being awkward or anything, it is just the muse being cruel...she is, after all, a very cruel mistress!

So...there it is. I am working hard, enjoying the challenge and trying to squeeze the hobby in where I can.

See you through the gas curtains...the air is yellow and smells of almonds...

Thursday, 21 January 2010

I can't wait until tomorrow evening...I am absolutely tired out. Not a lot of sleep, a very busy day shift and having a very steep learning curve has both kept me on my toes and made me shattered in equal measure.

I am loving it :).

It has so far been a huge change to what I have been used to and getting used to shifts has thrown my body clock right out but the new challenges have fired up parts of my brain that I had forgotten I had.

So...lots of work, not a lot of sleep and getting home completely wired has meant that painting and sculpting has been completely blown out of the water. All I have managed to do this week so far is partially glue 2 Gargoyles together...nothing more except for lots of thinking about stuff to do.

So why bother posting? Well I noticed today that I have two new followers. Welcome to The Mighty Flip and Matt; I hope that you enjoy your stay and maybe get a little inspiration from my blog.

Sunday, 17 January 2010

It has been a hectic week and next week looks to be more of the same. I am really enjoying work at the moment and the shifts are flying by. I am running a shift so I am kept busy all the time and this coming week will be a day shift...so lots and lots of flying and lots of things to fix!

Excellent!

Sooo...what have I been doing with myself? Well I went to a Games Workshop yesterday and spent my Christmas vouchers. Like I have already said, I don't plan on spending cash with GW but I can't really do much else with vouchers, can I? I'm not throwing them away (especially as they were Christmas gifts).

With my current Tyranid frenzy in full flow, I decided to buy the new Codex (for reading material) and a box of the new plastic Gargoyles. I will need to change the fleshborers for claws but apart from that, they are very nice little minis.

Whilst reading the Codex, I found an interesting beast that would fit in with my Hive Queen idea; the Tervigon. It is a Carnifex with a brood chamber that spits out Termagants during a game...perfect :).

I have managed to pull my socks up and finish off my little Rippers:

Click the Pic!

As with all of my Tyranids, they still need bases but they are done apart from that.

Speaking of bases, I have just ordered a bunch of magnets from Hasslefree Miniatures and when they arrive, I will be basing up all of the Rippers...so until then I guess I'll be working on my Carnifex and Gargoyles.

Sunday, 10 January 2010

I just have a small update this time and it is a demonstration of be not being in the right frame of mind for painting today. Here is a WIP pic of my Carnifex:

Click the Pic!

I have been shortening the claws, bulking up the arms, filling gaps and trying to sort out the carapace. I had to rip the arms off so I am also having to re-build the shoulders. The front claws (the ones not fitted) are supposed to be a bit like a Mantis; they are 'flicky'. I shortened the claws to make them a bit less awkward looking for a crouched forward beastie like this one.

Shift-work has knocked my rhythm out and as a result, I am wide awake at 02-40 in the morning. I went to bed but couldn't get to sleep so I thought I'd get up and see what I could do to keep my mind off things.

The first thing I did was dismantle a large plastic truck that my son has put in the kitchen ready for the bin men. I now have some nice wheels to play about with. I was all set to do some wood cutting (for a chassis) but realised that the neighbours probably wouldn't be too impressed if I started making a noise so I thought I'd try something else.

I thought about painting but I have quite tired eyes...so I couldn't do any painting.

I ate some fruitcake and a cup of decaffeinated tea.

I thought I'd continue the conversion work on my Tyranid Carnifex so I have been playing with Green Stuff and altering limbs and filling gaps. He's coming on quite nicely at the moment. I did what I said I was going to do and ripped his arms off...making a bit of a mess of the shoulders in the process but that is just the price you pay for gluing things together before you decide on how they should look...

Anyway, I have shortened some of his claws and have been bulking up his arms a bit and I think that when he is finished, he should look quite intimidating.

The other day, I ordered a six-wheeled APC from Fenris Games. Now that the postman has started to deliver again I hope that it will arrive at some point next week. It looks quite nice and should go quite well with the Hasslefree Sci-Fi Humans I bought just before Christmas. Here is a link to the Fenris vehicle:

I went for a drive to the supermarket today. Normally, that wouldn't be anything too interesting but the roads are a bit snowy and icy at the moment so I had to take things really steady. It was when I got to the shop that things got interesting though. I guess that people were expecting more snow because the supermarket was packed full of people, all buying provisions like their life depended on it. The checkouts were backed up and people were squeezed together like sardines...NIGHTMARE! I am not a good shopper at the best of times but I managed to keep my cool. My son was there to help so at least I had a small amount of sanity on my side.

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

I wasn't going to post today but seeing as I have got two new followers, I thought I'd change my mind.

Welcome to The Bearded Snot and ARTE EM PAPEL RECICLIADO CARLOS! They are both well met and are both from Europe...so I can say I now have international connections! I know the Bearded Snot from some on-line trading (tanks for Kroot) and have also visited ARTE EM's site, which has some interesting and artistic ways to recycle paper.

SNOW!

There is about 6 inches of snow outside and I am off to work in about 20 minutes time. Fortunately, it is a reasonably short walk as not a lot of the roads are clear. I am on night shifts at the moment and am enjoying playing with the helicopters again! Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of flying going on at the moment so all the work we are doing is just to keep them READY to fly...

Onto other things, my Tyranids are ticking along nicely. I now have all 20 Gaunts painted (only the bases to go...I will paint all of the bases at the same time so they all look the same) and have got on to the highlighting stage of the Warriors. So far, the Warriors are base-coated, washed and have had the first layer of highlights on the plates. They also have had their mouths all painted up...so one more highlight on the 3 of them and they will be done (except for the bases).

I have been quite lucky too. I had 29 Rippers and needed one more (I plan to put 3 on each base)...after a bit of a root through my bits box, I found one extra so I am ready to make ten bases worth! I have gone for 3 each base due to the Codex stating that the little swarms have 3 wounds...so I will be magnetising the Rippers to remove them when they take wounds (effectively, they become their own wound markers). Currently, the Rippers are all basecoated and washed ready for the next stage.

The Carnifex is a big beast and has been assembled for ages. That has caused me concern as I may be taking it to bits to change the arm positions a bit...that could be interesting!

Sunday, 3 January 2010

I guess it is Sunday again but alas I have failed to get anything done AGAIN!

All I have managed to do is badly paint the eyes on the 20 Gaunts and the tongues on the ones that have them stuck out a bit.

...but enough of my horrendous failings (I had so many plans for the Christmas holidays that I'm not surprised I didn't actually achieve any of them)...I did manage to do other stuff.

Today, after going food shopping, me and my lad went for a nice little jog around where we live. I don't think he did too bad seeing as it was about 4 miles...we didn't stop or walk at all...so I was quite impressed.

I have finally gone wireless...I was putting it off because I thought it would be a lot of hassle to sort out my BT Home Hub...but 20 minutes later and we were all getting broadband on all of our laptops...which impressed the children no-end.

I also managed to watch a DVD the other evening (I already mentioned it as I watched it on New Years Eve) that I was wanting to see for a long time...District 9.

So...District 9...How was it?

Well it was completely different to what I was expecting. It is basically a film about a bunch of aliens that turn up on Earth, they are undernourished and as a 'humanitarian' project, they are put into an area to live on Earth. The trouble is that they keep reproducing, crime increases and the local human population are up in arms...so a government agency is sent in to move them to a new area...cue all sorts of excitement.

What got me was the similarities to the way the Nazis dealt with the Jews during WWII. They first moved them into the ghettos and then moved them on to concentration camps...

I also realised that there wasn't a decent human in the film...even the 'star' just carried out his duties like he was sweeping the drive...there was a point where he was unplugging the food supplies to 'baby' aliens in pods whilst saying "it's easy to abort them...just unplug this tube and they go to sleep..." Completely awful due to it being so matter of fact.

That said, I found the film compelling to watch. The back story was enthralling, the special effects were great (and just the right amount) and some of the 'sci-fi' bits were very well designed...especially the robot-suit. Be warned though, there were quite a lot of people being burst apart by the alien weapons...so if a bit of gore isn't your thing then this film won't be.

I personally thought the film was well worth watching and I would recommend it to anyone (as long as they were above the age of the 15 rating).

Tomorrow, I start my first night shift at work so I have the day to prepare and maybe tidy up the mess I made of all those Gaunt eyes. I have to go to town to get my lad's hair cut ready for school but apart from that I will be building up for work...which is nice! I know what I'll get when I turn up..."where the hell were you over Christmas...you said you'd visit"...Ahhhh the best laid plans...

Friday, 1 January 2010

Before we start, I never make resolutions because a plan never survives contact with the enemy and fate has always been a cruel adversity for my plans.

I'd like to say that I had a great night, filled with merriment and song but instead I watched a DVD and missed the chimes of Big Ben.

This year is the year of the Tiger (traditionally a year of meeting challenges through vigor, hard work, and exciting changes) which is rather ironic for me. I am part of a Tiger Squadron in the RAF, the unit has just moved to a new location, it will be starting a completely new system of work as of the 4th January and I start my new job on the same day...I guess it means lots of hard work for me!

One thing I like to do at the beginning of the year is to reflect on what has happened over the last one and to be frank, I'll be glad to see the back of 2009.

I look forward to 2010 and hope that it is a darn sight better than the last one.

I know...a bit melancholy today...but if you start at the bottom, the only way is up.